Pressure gauge



Aug. 19, `1930. G. F. RUQPP PRESSURE GAUGE;

Filed March 2o, 1928 l zo Patented Aug. 19, 1930 UNITED STATES.

- yanonen FREDERIGK RUOPP, or MARsHALL'roWN, "IOWA, AssIGNoaI'oMARSHALL- TOWNIMANUFACTURING COMPANY, or MAItsHALLTOWN, IOWA; ACORPORATION OF IOWA y y lfniisstrnn GAGE f AApplicaafm med Maren 2o,192s. serial No. 263,063.;

The object of; my invention is to provide a pressure gauge of simple,durable and 1nexpensive construction, particularly adapted to be used inconnection Awith ascertaining 5 the pressure'of pneumatic tires.

More particularly it is the object of my invention to provide inapressure gauge, ofV

that type employing a Bourdony tube and a pivoted index member, improvedmeans for operating and resetting theindexV member, and `improved meansfor. permitting the index member to rest at the position indicating thepressure of the tire at the time the gauge is applied to the valve stem,after the gauge has been removed, to assist reading the gauge.

My invention consists in the construction,

arrangement and combination of the variousl parts of ther device,whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fullyset forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which; `ll y Figure l is a front elevation of my improvedgauge. Y Figure 2 is a sectional'view showing the dial and indexflngerremoved and the chuck in section.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

` Figure 4 is an end'A elevation vof the index member and the operatinglink. u

Figure 5 is a view illustrating the index member as it is stamped from aiat piece of sheet metal, and beforev it is folded to its operativeform. y My improved device comprises a cylindrical casing 10 having aycircumferential slot 11 in itsside member. A support 12 is providedwhich is formed preferably of square ,stock insertedthrough an opening 13,in said side member. The outer l'end of the support 12 is turned ftoform' a'comparatively small neck portion114. An opening l"15 isprovidedto form' an'air. passageto connect-with the Bourdontube 16,which `has one end mounted in the supporta12`. The outer end of thesupport 12 is providedwith a chuck 17 of the ordinary construction( Theneck 14 of the support-is bent to place the chuck 17 on a of flat sheetmetal.

22, ,said screw being secured in the supportv i 12a't a' pointapproximately midway between a.

the inner edge ofthe Vdial 18 and the Opposite side of the casing 10. ,pn

ln Figure 5 I have illustratedfwhat'I shall term the -dial member asblanked from apiece Said dial member comprises hub portions 23 and 24,yeach of which 'has a 'pivotopening 25.y Said hublportions are connectedby a narrow strip 26 the hub VVportion 24 terminating in the indexfinger 21.

The hub 23 is provided with whatv I shall term a bendable arm 27 formedsubstantially concentric with the opening-254, oney end of said member.27j connecting 'the hub by "a curved v'neck portion 28. The outer-end ofTENT 4. OFFICE The inner endv of the 12 is pro the member -2``is bentlaterally to provide a lug 29. Thev hub .23 is `alsoprovided with aresetting lever 30., r

In forming' the in'dex,member,fthe `strip 26 is `bent to place the hubs23 and`y24 in position opposite eachother with they openings L25 inalinement, in themanner illustrated in Figure 4. aid openings 25 aredesign-ed to receive the pivot pin 22.

` yThe Yhub vpt )rtio'ns are spaced apart 'a considerable'fdistance, so`that two `point bearn ings aref-provided, on Athe pivot member, `toprevent lateral movement ofthe free end fof the index'lingemtherebyproviding a cheap and, light construction, and means 'whereby the indexfinger will swing freely about the pivot member 22 without moving inContact with thedial 18. When the index member is mountedron the post22, the resetting lever 30 is extended through the slot 11 .withfitsouterend loutside, of tance.

the casing a slight dis- A link 31 is provided for operativelyconnecting the free end of the Bourdon tube with the arm 27. Said linkhas one end pivoted to the Bourdon tube and its opposite end providedwith a longitudinal slot 32 for receiving the Ylug 290i the arm 27. Saidlug 29 rests in the outer end of the slot 32 when the index member 21 isin its Zero position against the lug 20.

LA leafspring 33 is provided kwhich is bent with` itsends. overlapping,one of theends being bent to form a recess 34 to receive the strip 26when the spring 33 is inserted between the said strip 26 and the pivot22, in the manner clearly illustrated -in Figure 2. The other end of thespring 33 is designed to frictionally engage the pivot member 22 whichis fixed in the suport 12 against rotation. By this arrangement it willbe seen that if the index member is rotated on the pivot, the said indexmember will be frictionally retained at its maximum position ofmovement.

p By providing'the bendable arm 27 l have provided means wherebytheradial distance between the center of the pivot 22 and the lug 29 maybe increased or decreased, and

thereby provide means whereby the relative angular movement between theindex finger and the free end of the Bourdon tube may be varied; or themember 27 may also be bent to swing the lug 29 in aV circumferentialpath Yabout the pivot 22 for adjusting the initial operating position-oftheindex 21; or, in other words, to adjust the lug 29 so it will rest inthe outer end of the `slot 32 when the index member 21 is at'its Zeroposition.

In practical operation, the chuck 17 is placed over the valve stem of avtire on which a pressure reading is to be taken. AVThe application ofsaid chuck causes the valve stem to open, permitting Va small quantityof air from the tire to enter the Bourdon tube, which will be expanded,causing its free end and the link 31l to move in a clockwise direction,which in turn will cause the index member 21 ,to move in a clockwiseVdirection and also the resetting' lever 30. The chuck may be removedafter it has been placed in position for a few seconds. The removal ofthe chuck permits the air within the Bourdon tube to escape and theBourdon tube to be contracted, at which time its free end and the link31 will move in a counter-clockwise direction to its initial positionwithout moving the index 21, which is frictionally retained in itsmaximum position of movement by the spring 33, which is permitted onaccount of the lost motion action between the link 31 and the arm 27through the lug 29 and the slot 32. Y

Afterthe reading of the pressure gauge has been taken by the operator,the index member 21 may be reset to its normal position by the operatorplacing his thumb on the outer end of the lever 30 and rotating it in acounter-clockwise direction until the finger 21 engages the lug 20.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a pressure gauge of simple,durable and inexpensive construction, which is very reliable in itsoperation and which may be easily and quickly adjusted so the indexfinger will properly register on the graduated scale of the dial; andfurther provided' with means whereby the index finger maybe easily andquickly returned to its normal position..

Iclaim as my invention:

1. A pressure gauge including a casing having aV circumferential slot, asupport, a

dial, a Bourdon tube and an index member, said index member includ-ing apair of oppositely arranged hub members having pivot openings andconnected in spaced'relation, one ofA said hub members having an indexiinger, the other hub member including a resettinglever and 'a bendablearm, means for pivotally mounting'said index member within the casingwith the resettingl lever projected through Vrthe slot in said casing, alink ivotally connected tothe freel end of said Bourdon tube, an'dlostmotion means for connecting the free 'end of said link to the end ofsaid bendable arm. v f2. Ina pressure gauge having a'Bourdon tube', anindex member including a pair of oppositely aranged hub members havingpivot openings and connected in spaced'relation,.one 'of said hubmembers having an index finger, the other hub member including aresetting lever and af bendable arm, a pivot for said openings, andmeans for connecting one endof the bendable arm to the movable end ofsaid Bourdon tube.

3. In a pressure gauge, a support, a pivot memberan.index memberincluding a pair of `oppositely arranged hub members having pivotopenings and connected in spaced relation, one of said hub membershaving an indexl finger, the other hub member including a resettinglever and a bendable arm, said hub 'members' being pivotally mounted yonsaid pivot member, and a substantially U-shaped spring'liaving one endsecured to the member Vconnecting said hub members, and its other end infrictional engagement with said pivot member. 5

LA pressure` gauge including a support,

a.y fixed pivot member, a'Bourclon tube, an index member adapted toswing about said pivot member, lost motion means for connecting saidindex member with the free end of said'Bourdon tube, and aspring carriedby said index member, adapted to swing therewith and having one end in'frictional en gagement with said pivot member.

'5. In a pressureV gauge, a support, pressure operated mechanism, anindexA member formed ofsheet metal stamping having hub portions providedwithpivot openings and connected by a narrow strip, one of said hub Yportionsv terminating in an index linger, the other hub portion beingprovidedy kWith a curved and bendable arm, the curvature of which isapproximately concentric with the axis of one of the' pivot openings,and also provided with a substantially radially projecting resettinglever, said connecting strip being bent to place the hub m members inoverlapping and spaced relation With the pivot openings in commonalinement7 a pivot member mounted on said support and carrying the indexmember, a spring supported between the connecting strip and l said pivotmember, and means for operatively connecting said bendable member withsaid pressure operatedmechan-ism.

GEORGE.V FREDERICK RUOPP.

